Bellator Light Heavyweight, Featherweight Finalists Cleared

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The competition to crown the first Bellator Fighting Championships light heavyweight titleholder has been whittled down to Richard Hale and Christian M'Pumbu.

Hale tipped the scales at 204.4 pounds for his Bellator Season 4 light heavyweight tournament final with M’Pumbu (199.4) at Bellator 45 on Saturday at the L’Auberge du Lac Casino and Resort in Lake Charles, La. The two finalists in the Bellator Season 4 featherweight draw -- Patricio Freire (145.8) and Daniel Straus (145) -- also met their contracted weights at Friday’s official weigh-in.

Hale (17-3-1, 2-0 Bellator) will carry a four-fight winning streak into the cage. A physical specimen at 6-foot-4, 205 pounds, the 26-year-old Koncrete Gym representative landed his spot in the final at Bellator 42 in April with a narrow split decision victory over D.J. Linderman at the Lucky Star Casino in Concho, Okla. Finished only once in 21 professional appearances, Hale has secured 14 of his 17 career victories by knockout, technical knockout or submission; that includes the highlight-reel inverted triangle he executed on Nik Fekete in the tournament’s opening round.

M’Pumbu (17-3-1, 2-0 Bellator) cleared his path to the 205-pound final with a third-round TKO against Chris Davis at Bellator 38 and a first-round TKO over previously unbeaten Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Tim Carpenter at Bellator 42. The 33-year-old Yogata Fight Team product has delivered nearly half (eight) of his 17 professional wins by submission. Victories over Finnish prospect Marcus Vanttinen and current UFC heavyweight Stefan Struve highlight his resume. Like Hale, M’Pumbu has never lost back-to-back bouts.

Bellator 45 -- which airs on MTV2 at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT -- will also feature a middleweight duel between Dream veteran Karl Amoussou (185) and twice-beaten King of the Cage alum Sam Alvey (184.6).

Bellator 45
Saturday, May 21
L’Auberge du Lac Casino and Resort
Lake Charles, La.

Bellator Light Heavyweight Tournament Final
Richard Hale (204.4) vs. Christian M'Pumbu (199.4)

Bellator Featherweight Tournament Final
Daniel Straus (145) vs. Patricio Freire (145.8)

Karl Amoussou (185) vs. Sam Alvey (184.6)
Luis Santos (171) vs. Nicolae Cury (171)
Joseph Abercrombie (139.8) vs. Ben Parpart (139)
Shawn Jordan (255.2) vs. John Hill (254.8)
Tim Ruberg (185.4) vs. Mike Fleniken (185)
Rene Nazare (156) vs. Kelvin Hackney (155)